The
Reformation: Its Causes and Its Theology
Lesson
3: Leaders of the Reformation:
Martin Luther
Intro
"Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Scriptures or by clear reason…I am bound to the Scriptures I have quoted and my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not retract anything, since it is neither right nor safe to go against conscience. I cannot do otherwise, here I stand. May God help me, Amen."1
B. Thus spoke the great Protestant Reformer Martin Luther in 1521 to the
religious and government authorities that he was addressing at the Diet of
Worms, and the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century AD was about to
radically impact not just the church, but also the world!2
I. Early Life and Conversion of Martin Luther:
A.
Born in Eisleben in the
B.
Studied law at the University
of
C. Frightened by a severe thunderstorm; joins Augustinian monastery in 1505.5
D. Luther though hated the whole concept of the righteousness of God because he looked at it as something that he had to achieve, but never could achieve. God then was merely a consuming Judge. This drove Luther to utter despair, and he would spend hours in the confessional.
E. Luther had a conversion experience in 1518. Romans 1:17 impacted Luther greatly, and in recounting his “tower experience,” he stated:
“At last, by the mercy of God, meditating day and night, I gave heed to the context of the words, namely, "In it the righteousness of God is revealed, as it is written, He who through faith is righteous shall live." There I began to understand that the righteousness of God is revealed by the Gospel, namely, the passive righteousness with which merciful God justifies us by faith, as it is written, "He who through faith is righteous shall live." Here I felt that I was altogether born again and had entered paradise itself through open gates.”6
F. Luther realized that this righteousness was outside of him and could not be earned. Christ accomplished it for him, and God graciously imputed it to him through faith alone.
G. He now had a peace of soul that he never had before, and was now strengthened and prepared to defend the Gospel against any enemy, even if that meant he might die.
II. Martin Luther's Protest Against the Teachings of the Roman Catholic Church.
A. Luther had been lecturing through the books of Psalms, Romans, Galatians and Hebrews which laid the foundation for his conversion and his opposition to Rome.
1. His opposition became public when the monk Johann Tetzel began to preach about and sell indulgences that promised remission of all sins and that one could bypass purgatory. 7
2. This indulgence would also apply to one’s dead relatives, and as Tetzel would say:
“As soon as the coin in the money-box rings, the soul from purgatory springs.”8
B. Luther writes his 95 Theses in opposition to these indulgences, and posts it on the church door in Wittenburg, Oct 31, 1517. This is considered to be the official beginning of the Protestant Reformation.9
C. After this, Luther continued to engage in debates and write things that directly opposed the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church, primarily on Papal authority and salvation.
D.
E. Luther was summonsed to the
Diet of Worms in 1521 to answer for his views.11 He refused to recant.
This marks Luther's official break with
F. Key points in Luther’s theology which lay at the heart of the Reformation:
1. The Sola’s of the Reformation.12 Sola Scriptura, Solus Christus, Sola Gratia, Sola Fide, Soli Deo Gloria
2. The Bondage of the Will: 13 Luther wrote this book in response to the Roman Catholic scholar Desiderius Erasmus. By Luther's own account, this was the most important thing he ever wrote.
a. The selling of indulgences and other ecclesiastical abuses were not the central issues. They were the occasion for the Reformation, not the cause. Luther writes:
“I give you hearty praise and commendation on this further account-that you alone, in contrast with others, have attacked the real thing, that is, the essential issue. You have not wearied me with those extraneous issues about the Papacy, purgatory, indulgences and such like trifles.... You, and you alone, have seen the hinge on which all turns, and aimed for the vital spot.”
b. Luther spoke at length about the doctrines of God’s absolute sovereignty, predestination, election, and the radical
corruption of man’s nature, whose will is in bondage to sin, and as such he is unable to incline himself to the spiritual good.
c. Luther argued that one must first be made spiritually alive by God’s effectual grace alone before they will ever embrace
Christ
by faith, which faith he maintained was a gift bestowed upon the sinner through
God’s free and sovereign grace alone.
d.
Luther: “If
any man doth ascribe of salvation, even the very least, to the free will of man,
he knoweth nothing of grace, and
and he hath not learnt Jesus Christ aright."’14
e. Other quotes from Luther:
“Hence it follows that free will without God's grace is not free at all, but is the permanent prisoner and bondslave of evil....”
“If
anyone should tell you that a thing was free, which of its own power could go
only one way, that is, the bad way-it could indeed go the other way, that is,
the good way, but not by its own power, only with the help of another-could you
refrain from laughing, my friend? For on these grounds I shall easily establish
that a stone or a log has free will, because it can go up and down; though by
its own power it can only go down, and can go up only with the help of
another!”
"God has surely promised His grace to the humbled, that is, to those who mourn over and despair of themselves. But a man cannot be thoroughly humbled till he realizes that his salvation is utterly beyond his own powers, counsels, efforts, will and works, and depends, absolutely on the will, counsel, pleasure and works of Another - God alone.”
f. Other Key Writings:
1. The Heidelberg Disputation (1518)
2. Three Treatises (1520) - These are 3 works that Luther wrote primarily to the princes and rulers of Germany.
a. Address to the Christian Nobility of the German Nation
b. Babylonian Captivity of the Church (1520)
c. The Freedom of the Christian (1520)
3. The Augsburg Confession (1530) - Actually penned by Luther's friend and co-laborer Philip Melancthon. Luther gave his support of the document.
4. The Small Catechism of Martin Luther (1530)
5. The Large Catechism of Martin Luther (1530)
6. The Smalcald Articles of Martin Luther (1537)
7. Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the Pope (1537)
8. Preface to the Letter of St. Paul to the Romans
9. Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians (1535)
III. Martin Luther’s Legacy has Forever Impacted the World.
A. His teachings revolutionized the church:
1. Restored the Gospel to the
church and ensured that people from all over the world now have God’s Word
translated into their own languages.
2. 19th century church historian Philip Schaff states, “All Protestant Christians, who enjoy the fruits of his courage, owe him a
debt of gratitude.”15
B. His teachings revolutionized the world:
1.
All of the early settlers in America were Protestants that carried Luther’s core ideals and teachings (especially
as expressed through the teachings of John Calvin and his successors), to the
new world and inspired great social reforms.16
2. Scholars agree that the Reformation directly and positively impacted science, education, the arts, marriage and family, free
enterprise and the work ethic.17
Works Cited
1Nichols,
Stephen, Martin Luther: A Guided
Tour of His Life and Thought. P&R
Publishing,
2History
of the Christian Church, Volume VII. Modern Christianity. The German
Reformation.
Philip Schaff accessed
14 Nov. 2006 <http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/hcc7.ii.i.i.html>
3
"Luther, Martin."
2006
<http://search.eb.com/ebi/article-9275557>.
4
"Luther,
Martin."
2006
<http://search.eb.com/ebi/article-9275557>
5
Zondervan
Publishing House,
6
“My Lord Katie: Katharina von Bora Luther:
Martin Luther and the Reformation.”
Concordia
Historical Institute online.
16 Nov. 2006 <http://chi.lcms.org/katie/2.asp>
7
Luther, Martin. The Bondage of
the Will. J.
I. Packer and O. R. Johnston,
trans. Fleming H.
Revell
(Baker Books),
8
Grace
Publications Trust,
9
“Reformation" World
Encyclopedia. Philip's, 2005.
University
Press.
<http://www.oxfordreference.com/views/ENTRY.html?subview=Main&entry=t142.e9762>
10 “Condemning the Errors of Martin Luther: Exsurge Domine.” Bull of Pope Leo X issued
June 15, 1520. Papal Encyclicals Online. 16 Nov. 2006
<http://www.papalencyclicals.net/Leo10/l10exdom.htm>
11 Nichols, Stephen, Martin Luther: A Guided Tour of His Life and Thought. P&R
Publishing,
12 Nichols, Stephen, Martin Luther: A Guided Tour of His Life and Thought. P&R Publishing,
13
Luther, Martin. The Bondage of
the Will. J.
I. Packer and O. R. Johnston,
trans. Fleming H.
Revell
(Baker Books),
14
Spurgeon, Charles, Free Will A Slave.
The New
Online.
16 Nov. 2006 <http://www.spurgeon.org/sermons/0052.htm>
15
Schaff, Philip, History of the Christian Church,
Volume VII. Modern Christianity. The
German
Reformation. Hendrickson Publishing.
1858).
p. 311.
16
2006.
<http://www.frontline.org.za/articles/heart_aflame.htm>
17 Hammond, Peter, Dr. How the Reformation Changed the World. Frontline Fellowship. 15
Nov. 2006. <http://www.frontline.org.za/articles/howreformation_changedworld.htm>